LibrePatron: A Self-Hosted Patreon Alternative

Patreon is a popular service that allows content creators to receive contributions from supporters on a recurring basis. Unfortunately, Patreon is also a dedicated enemy of the concept of free speech as an important civic virtue. Patreon is known to arbitarily ban its creators for "thought crime."

Unfortunately most Patreon alternatives to date do not implement all of Patreon's main features, namely:

Automatic monthly billing via email

Support for both Bitcoin/Lightning (BTCPay Server) and credit cards (Square)

Main page to entice new subscribers

Google Analytics

Protected page to post updates (viewable by subscribers only)

Automatic bulk emailing of updates to subscribers

Managing billing and subscription expiration

Allowing subscriber comments (turned off on this sample site, but allowed when you install your own!)

While still in alpha status, LibrePatron implements all of these features.

If you're a creator reading this unconcerned with free speech issues, Patreon still takes a percentage of your earnings, which can be avoided by using LibrePatron.